Question

personal response: the mother of the poem’s title shows sympathy for her son, but she does not let him dwell on defeat. what did you think about the mother’s advice in “mother to son”? what kind of advice have you received from an adult in your life? what kind of a metaphor could you use to share the advice with a friend?

Explanation:

1. The mother's advice in Mother to Son is a metaphor for resilience: life is a splintered, uncarpeted staircase with tacks, splinters, and dark spots, but she kept climbing anyway, so her son must not sit down or turn back.
2. A personal example of such advice: A mentor told me "life is a marathon, not a sprint"—urging me to persist through slow, difficult phases rather than quitting when progress felt invisible.
3. To share this with a friend, I would use the staircase metaphor from the poem: "Remember that poem Mother to Son? Life's like that rickety staircase—there's no smooth path, but you just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other, even when it's dark or hurts. I've been holding onto that lately, and it's helped."

Answer:

1. The mother's advice in Mother to Son frames life as a worn, difficult "staircase" (not a smooth crystal one) full of obstacles, and she urges her son to keep climbing instead of giving up, even when the path is hard or unclear.
2. I received advice from a coach that "progress isn't a straight line—think of it as a winding mountain trail; you'll hit flat spots and even backtrack sometimes, but keep your eyes on the peak."
3. I would share the poem's core metaphor with a friend: "I was thinking about that poem Mother to Son lately. Life isn't a easy, polished walkway—it's a beat-up staircase with tacks and splinters, and you just have to keep stepping up, even when you can't see the next landing. It's helped me push through a tough patch, and I thought it might resonate with you too."